Episode 79. First Number
News spread throughout the Imperial Palace that the meeting regarding the appointment of the Commander of the Imperial Guard had been reconvened. Since the previous commander had been executed for treason, a new commander had to be appointed to serve Her Majesty the Empress; however, the matter had been repeatedly postponed, and now, inevitably, a decision had to be made today.
It was a meeting convened personally by His Majesty the Emperor. In the Imperial Grand Hall, the Emperor sat on the throne. His subjects entered one by one and took their seats on both sides. Leon stood to one side in his capacity as Special Inspector. Crown Prince Pierre sat beside His Majesty the Emperor.
It was quiet. It was a frequent occurrence for the Crown Prince to be present at meetings. But today was different. The silence was unlike the usual. It was a silence of waiting for something.
Leon surveyed the atmosphere and looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was facing straight ahead.
Just before His Majesty the Emperor began the meeting, while the subjects were taking their seats, the Crown Prince quietly opened his mouth toward the Emperor.
"Father."
His Majesty the Emperor looked at the Crown Prince.
"Father, you are always on my side, aren't you?"
The Grand Hall fell silent. The subjects exchanged glances. It was a completely unexpected remark. Before the meeting began. In a situation where subjects were entering one by one. The Crown Prince asking his father if he was on his side.
The Emperor looked at Pierre. There was a multitude of emotions in his eyes. There was bewilderment, and there was worry. But above all, the composure of an Emperor came first. The Emperor knew the significance of this occasion. 'As the face of the Imperial Family, you need to be a little more observant.' It was a cold remark. It was not something a father would say to his son. It was a statement the Emperor was making to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince heard the words, but his expression did not change. He nodded and turned his gaze straight ahead. However, beneath the throne, the Crown Prince's hand was slowly clenched. He clenched his fist tightly. Out of sight. Only Leon saw it. Leon saw the Crown Prince's hand being clenched. His gaze changed.
The meeting began. The Emperor ordered the discussion of candidates for the Captain of the Empress's Guard. The subjects each voiced the names they recommended. The names of knights who had served in the Imperial Palace for a long time came up. As the Emperor listened, he nodded or shook his head. Several names were exchanged. Then, the Crown Prince spoke.
"May I also recommend someone?"
The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince mentioned a name.
"Karl Ernst."
The Great Hall fell silent for a moment. It was a name no one had expected. The subjects looked at one another. Some knew who he was, while others did not. The Emperor wondered about the Crown Prince's intentions. Why had the Crown Prince mentioned that name? Who was he?
The Crown Prince smiled coldly at the Emperor.
"I merely recommended a person suitable for the right position."
He continued.
"Karl Ernst has served in the Imperial Guard for over thirty years. He served as the 3rd Battalion Commander and possesses extensive combat experience. Although he has remained unnoticed for a long time, his loyalty to the Imperial Family has been proven. He will be more than capable of serving Her Majesty the Empress."
The Emperor fell into thought for a moment upon hearing those words. The Crown Prince, who had never once spoken during meetings, claiming he still had much to learn, was now personally recommending a bodyguard himself. He pondered the Crown Prince's intentions. However, what the Crown Prince had said was not wrong. That Karl Ernst was a figure of long-standing loyalty. That he possessed sufficient experience. There was no basis for rebuttal.
The Emperor looked at Leon. Receiving that gaze, Leon grasped the Emperor's intention. It was a look asking if he knew Karl Ernst. Leon thought for a moment and nodded. He knew that he had served in the Imperial Guard for a long time. Yet, even Leon could not read why the Crown Prince had brought up that name.
His Majesty the Emperor said.
"If the Crown Prince vouches for it, it would not be bad. Unless there are other objections, I appoint Karl Ernst as the Captain of the Empress's Bodyguard."
The meeting concluded. Leon watched the Crown Prince leave. The Crown Prince was looking straight ahead. It was a face where the cold smile he had previously displayed had vanished. It was the Crown Prince's gentle face once again. However, Leon knew. He knew that the cold smile from earlier was genuine.
As the Emperor walked away from the Crown Prince, he felt a certain sense of pride inwardly regarding the Crown Prince's remarks. A commendable fellow who has grown up enough to offer his opinions on the affairs of the Imperial Household. He thought, "He is growing up like this." Then, the Emperor pondered the question the Crown Prince had asked him earlier. Pierre was indeed his child, whom he cherished dearly.
The Crown Prince returned to his office after the meeting. A short while later, Karl Ernst, appointed as the Empress's bodyguard, entered. He was a man in his mid-fifties with a solid physique. He had the build of someone who had served in the military for a long time, and his eyes were sharp. He knelt before the Crown Prince, paying his respects.
"Your Highness, did you summon me?"
The Crown Prince looked at him. Karl Ernst. He had served in the Imperial Guard for over thirty years. He was a man of skill who had never received the recognition he deserved. He was a man whose resentment from those years must have been accumulating somewhere within him. The Crown Prince had chosen it, knowing that 'Stand.'
The Crown Prince offered a seat on the sofa, and Karl Ernst rose. As Karl Ernst sat down, he looked at the Crown Prince. His eyes seemed bewildered as to why he had been summoned.
"Your Highness, thank you for recommending me as the Captain of the Empress's Guard. It is a position far beyond what I deserve."
"Do not think it is beyond your means. You have waited a long time."
Karl Ernst looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince continued speaking.
"You have served the Imperial Family for over thirty years, yet you never received a proper position. Didn't you feel wronged by that?"
Karl Ernst froze. The Crown Prince smiled and said.
"You can be honest. It is just the two of us here."
Karl Ernst looked at the Crown Prince for a moment before speaking.
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't wronged."
The Crown Prince nodded. Karl Ernst bowed his head as he half-rose from his seat.
"Your Highness, I am your loyal knight. I will carry out whatever you command."
"First, stay by Mother's side and protect her. Be faithful as the Captain of the Guard."
Karl Ernst nodded. The Crown Prince added.
"And keep a close eye on what happens around Mother. I will discuss the other matters later."
Karl Ernst looked at the Crown Prince. His gaze conveyed that he was being ordered to protect his Mother while simultaneously keeping an eye on her. However, he did not voice this aloud.
"I will obey your command."
The Crown Prince rose from his seat. He opened a drawer and took out a document from inside. It was a certificate confirming the discovery of artifacts in the Owl Bookstore building. It was an official document issued by the Imperial Palace. It listed the types and quantities of the discovered artifacts, as well as the date the excavation survey began. Next to it lay an application for the excavation of artifacts from the Empress's three buildings.
The Crown Prince picked up the documents. Karl Ernst watched.
"You may leave now."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Karl Ernst bowed and left. The Crown Prince remained alone in the office. He looked down at the documents. Artifacts had been discovered in the Owl Bookstore building. Princess Valois had brought up the story during tea time. And right there and then, she suggested that the artifacts might be fakes.
Her Majesty the Empress and a few others had bought those buildings. As soon as construction began, an archaeological excavation was launched. They had been setting this up from the very beginning.
Holding the documents in his hand, the Crown Prince thought. I can understand that you did not choose me. But I cannot simply let you use Her Majesty the Empress like this.
It was the hallway leading to the Empress's quarters. The Crown Prince walked. His pace was not slow. It was a purposeful walk. The Crown Prince's profile as he walked with the documents in his hand was different from usual. He was not the gentle Crown Prince. He was in front of the door to the Empress's quarters. A lady-in-waiting greeted him.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, have you arrived?"
"Is Her Majesty the Empress here?"
While the lady-in-waiting went inside to deliver the news, the Crown Prince stood in the hallway. There it was. He looked at the documents in his hand. Then, the door to his chambers opened. The Empress greeted the Crown Prince.
"Crown Prince."
"Your Majesty."
As the Crown Prince took his seat, he looked at the Empress. The Empress looked at the Crown Prince. He was the son who had turned his back on her for a long time. Yet, today, he had come to visit first. There was joy in her eyes. And there was also a sense of calculation.
"What brings you here? To think you couldn't even appease a single princess and withdrew the marriage proposal. No matter how incompetent you may be, to fail to understand a mother's heart like this, tsk."
"Did you covet Serena that much?"
"Did you look down on the Valois family? If even a single ducal family came to me, His Majesty wouldn't be able to utter a sound."
"It seems you are the one who has underestimated Serena, Mother."
Just as the Empress was about to speak, glaring menacingly at the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince thrust a document in front of her. The Empress took the document from the Crown Prince and unfolded it. It was a certificate confirming the discovery of artifacts at the Owl Bookstore building. The Empress looked at the document and asked the Crown Prince.
"What is this?"
The Crown Prince replied.
"Have you seen this before?"
The Empress looked at the Crown Prince. He held out an application for an artifact excavation survey next to it.
"Artifact excavation surveys have been initiated on three buildings on Your Majesty's side. And who first brought up the topic of these buildings?"
The Empress looked at the document. The Crown Prince continued.
"When Princess Valois brought up this building during tea time, she said the artifacts might be fake. She claimed the new owner had placed the artifacts there and spread rumors because it would be difficult to get their deposit back. However, artifact excavation surveys have now been initiated on Your Majesty's buildings. Your Majesty, haven't you kept the Princess of Valois too close?"
The chambers fell silent. The Empress slowly set down the documents. She recalled the words she had spoken to herself on her return from the Valois estate. It couldn't be Serena. This child wouldn't do such a thing. That conviction began to waver.
The Empress crumpled the documents, clenched her fists, and then tossed them onto the floor.
"Get out. I need time to think."
"Call me when you need me. I am my father's son, but I am also my mother's son."
Watching that silence, the Crown Prince thought. Mother is wavering. The Crown Prince's gaze changed.
This is just the beginning. Serena, just wait a little longer. It may be a bit rough, but after that, I will make you happy.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal Episode 79]
It is said that His Highness the Crown Prince recommended a man named Karl Ernst as the new Captain of the Royal Guard. They say he is a figure who has served in the Imperial Palace for a long time but has never seen the light of day.
Prince Leon said he does not know the intention behind that recommendation. I don't know either. But I feel I must tell the Princess this. How she will view His Highness the Crown Prince.
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